Combined washing machine and extractor



April 16,1935.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 14, 1930 3 2 [a 1 m y 4 j 1 I) m f. 4% 9 L. 7/2 y f n u q c c- O O o 0 0 o o 10 mm o w) M m o o 0 0 o 0 we o o o o o 3; 2 2 7 \1 2 1 nrramv April 16, 1935. F. M. RISCH CONBINED'WASHING MACHINE AND EXTRACTOR Filed April 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i0 O O O OIQ E 7 000000003 0 0000000002 1 0 000000000 0000000 000, 0000000 000 020 0 0 0 020 0 0 O 3 232 \EPFFF:

90 n- PO nYOnYO Patented Ape-16,1935 l 1,997,747

warren STATES PATENT-caries COMBINED WASHING MACHINE AND EXTRAGTOB Frank M. Bloch, University City, lilo. Application April 14, 1930, Serial No. 443,95: 7

s Glaims- (o1. ca- -sa) This invention relates to cleaners, and has more the opening H. i The rear edge l of the door is particular reference to a machine that can be hinged at IE to the front edge 9 of the top wall I. used for dry-cleaning clothes and other fabric. 4 A flange IT projects inwardly from the rear edge The principle purpose of the present invention is l5 of the door at an angle such that it will be 5 to provide a machine of this character that can parallel to and abut against the underside of the 5 be employed for the purpose of extracting the top wall 1 when the door is closed. cleaning fluid from the cleaned clothes as well as The flanges I3 and I1 stiffen the sheet metal for cleaning the clothes. Another object of the door I4 and also co-operate with the channels I2 present invention is the provision of a cleaner and top wall I, respectively, to make a tighter and that will fulfill this two-fold purpose without inmore efiective closure for the opening .II. A 10 volving the use ofalternative mechanisms for the semi-cylindrical interior false bottom l8 extends respective purposes. Another object of the presover the bottom wall 2 and the lower portions of ent invention is to provide a two-fold purpose the side walls 3, and the longitudinal edges of cleaner that may be adapted from one purpose the bottom l8 are soldered, welded, or otherwise to the other by merely changing its position.' A suitably secured to the inner sides of the walls 3 15 further object is to provide a small portable so the upper portions of the latter form an uncleaner or extractor that will be simple in coninterrupted rising continuation of the lateral struction and operation and that can be easily portions of the bottom l8. operated by hand. Other objects, advantages, The holder for the clothes or other work is prefgo and desirable features of the invention will aperably in the form of cylindrical sheet metal conpear intthe course of the following description of tainer l9 having a front end wall 20, a rear end an illustrative embodiment of the spirit of the wall 2|, and a cylindrical wall 22. Suitable perinvention. forations 23 are provided in the walls 2! and 22.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of The wall 22 contains an openin which 1 25 this specification, in which like numbers of refclosed by a perforated door 25, secured to one edge erence denote like parts wherever they occur, 26 of the opening 24 by hinges 21, and adapted Figure l is a plan view of the cleaner; to be secured in closed position by a pin 28, in- Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal central secserted for the purpose through tubes or sockets tional view of the same, showing the door open; 29 and 30 formed on the other edge 3| of the v 30 Figure 3 is a front elevationof the cleaner; opening and on the corresponding edge 32 of 30 Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the the door, ,respectively, so that they will bein same, taken on the line 4-4 in Figure 2, but with alinement when the door 25 is closed. The inner the door closed; and side of the wall 22 of the container l9 bears ribs Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken 33 that lift and tumble the clothes or work in the on a plane, approximately, on the line 5-5 in cleaning liquid in the cylinder or tumbler I9 35 Figure 3, so as to show the interior parts in elewhen the latter is rotated with its axis horizonvation, and also showing the device turned to tal. Each of the ribs 33 is slotted or notched stand on its-rear end so as to be in its extracting transversely on its under side at intervals along position. its length as at 34 to permit the passage under The device comprises a vessel or tank I, preferthe rib of cleaning liquid from one to the other 40 ably constructed of sheet metal, and having a of the sides of the rib. The heads or ends 20 bottom 2, side walls 3 and l, a rear wall 5, a front and 2| have secured thereto on their outer sides wall 6 and a top wall I. The front wall 8 and respective centrally disposed bosses 35, in which the top wall I terminate at 8 and 9, respectively, are rigidly secured respective trlmnions 86 and about half way short of the line of intersection of 31. The rear trunnion 31 is journaled in a bear- 45 their planes, and the side walls landlalso termiing 38 in a. bracket 39 suitably attached in a nate short of the said line of intersection along leaf-proof manner to the inner side of the rear obliquely disposed edges in that co-operate with wall 5, as by means of bolts" whose heads are the edges 8 and 9 to form a rectangular inclined soldered or welded to the inner side of the wall opening II in the tank I. The frontedge 8 and 5. The front trunnion 36 is journaled in a'bear- 5 V the side edges ill of the opening H are preferably ing in a plate 4|, rigidly securedto the inner bent inwardly and then outwardly to form subside of the front wall 5, and extends exteriorly stantially \I-shaped channels l2 to receive the from said bearing through an alined opening in inwardly presented flanges 13 formed on the front the front wall. The outer end of said trunnion and lateral edges of a door l4 adapted to close bears a spur pinion 42 in such manner that the trunnion 36 and pinion 42 rotate as if they were integral, as best shown in Figure 2. A plate 43 is secured over the outer side of the front wall 8 by means of bolts 44 that pass through washers 5 45 interposed between the wall 6 and the plate 43 to maintain them suitably spaced apart. A spur gear 46 is arranged to turn between the wall 6 and plate 48 and to mesh with the pinion 42, as best shown in Figures 1, 3, and 5. A spur gear 46 is keyed or otherwise afllxed to a stub shaft 41 so as to rotate therewith. The shaft 41 is journaled in a bearing in the plate 43, and the outer end of said shaft projects beyond said bearing and has amxed thereto, so as to rotate therewith, a crank 48.

The construction of the device having been fully described, its mode of operation will be readily understood. The tank I- is turned so that its rear wall 5 forms the bottom, as shown in Figure 5, and the door I 4 is opened and cleaning liquid poured into the tank through the opening until the level 49 of the liquid nearly reaches the rear head 2 I, now the bottom, of the now upright cylinder i9. The door 25 of the cylinder I8 is opened, and the clothes or articles to be cleaned are introduced through the opening 24 into the tumbler i9, after which the door is closed, and secured by passing the pin 28 into the sockets or sleeves 29 and 30. The tank is then turned on the common edge 50 of the rear wall 5 and the bottom 2 until it rests on its bottom 2, as shown inFigures 1-, 2, 3, and 4. The turning of the tank is accompanied, of course, by a shifting of the body of liquid therein, which enters the tumbler I! through the perforations 28 to the proper level found to be best for the purpose. The tumbler i9 is then rotated by turning the-crank 48, preferably first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, and so on, thereby imparting an alternating rotative velocity to the tumbler, which velocity is greater than v that of the hand crank 48 by reason of the velocity step-up obtained through the pinion 42 and gear 46.

when the clothes have been cleaned by this operation, the tumbler is allowed to come to rest, and the tank is turned back on the edge "so that it again rests on its rear wall 5, as shown in Figure 5. The tumbler I9 is then rotated at a high velocity in one direction, the cleaning liquid draining from the clothes and emerging from the tumbler I! through the perforations 23 by gravity.

The high velocity of the basket I9 causes it to function also as a centrifugal extractor that-very thoroughly removes nearly all of the cleaning fluid from the clothes. Merely allowing the cleaning fluid to drain from the clothes often leaves streaks or spots of discoloration due to uneven draining, but the centrifugal action removes the cleaning fluid so thoroughly that streaks and discolorations are prevented. It will be quite apparent that the concave false bottom II more closely follows the cylindrical wall 22 of the drum ll than does the-bottom 2 and thereby reduces the volume of liquid that is necessary to raise the liquid toa predetermined level in the tumbler ll when the axis of the latter is horizontal. It will also be observed that the work holder II is positioned closer to the concavebottom |l than to the lateral rear wall 2|, whereby,-when the vessel "1 *stendson its bottom and is filled with o. cleaning liquid to a predetermined level so as to immerse partly, at least. said holder, said liquid will drain from said holder toward said lateral wallwhen the vesselis turned tolie on saidlateralrear wall 2|. It will be observed further that, the greater the distance of the top wall I from the bottom wall 2, the smaller need be the distance between the wall I5 and the rear end 2| of the tumbler IS without liability of causing the liquid to rise into the tumbler I! when it is in the extracting position shown in Figure 5. Otherwise stated, the interior configuration of the vessel is such that, when the vessel is positioned so that the axis of rotation is substantially vertical, the level of a pre determined volume of liquid in the vessel I will fall below the interior of the tumbler I9, and, when the vessel is positioned so that the axis of rotation of said tumbler is substantially horizontal, the cleaning liquid will rise to enter said tumbler. When the cleaning and extracting operations have been completed, the doors I4 and 25 are opened, and the articles or work removed, after which the foregoing cycle of operations may be repeated to clean the next batch of work.

Having thus fully described this invention, I hereby reserve the benefit of all such changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts as will fall within the scope of the following claims, as it is evident that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim: 7

1. In a washing machine, a, substantially polyhedral box, an operating spindle extending through one side of the box, and a work container borne by said spindle in juxtaposition to said side and an adjacent side and remote from the two sides opposite the two first-mentioned sides, the said box having a work-introducing opening intervening between the first-mentioned side and the side opposite the second-mentioned side, whereby when said box is positioned to rest on one of said adjacent sides the container will be immersed in a cleaning liquid in the box and when the box is placed on one of said remote sides the container will be above the normal level of said liquid.

2. In a washing machine, a substantially polyhedral box, a rotatable work container, means for rotatably supporting said work container in said box at a fixed location in juxtaposition to two adjacent sides and remote from the two sides opposite the two adjacent sides, there being an oblique side formed intermediate one, of said adjacent sides and one of said opposite sides, said oblique side including an opening for the passage of work into or out of the box, and a movable cover for the opening, whereby when said box is positioned to rest on one of said adJacent sides the container will be immersed in a cleaning liquid in the box and when the.box is placed on one of said remote sides the container will be above the normal level of said liquid.

3. A washing machine of the class described including a box having four sides which are at right angles to each other and having a fifth side which is oblique, a closing means adapted to at said oblique side, a rotatable work container, means for supporting the said work container in the said box at-a flxed location in juxtaposition to two adjacent sides, inclose proximity to said oblique side, and remote from the two sides opposite the said two adjacent sides, whereby when saidbox is positioned torest on one of said ad- 

